Penn State To Pay Paterno's Widow $13.4 Million
The former coach was making about $1 million a year when he was removed by the university's trustees.
| Posted Tuesday, May 22, 2012, at 4:26 PM
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images.
Penn State has agreed to pay former football coach Joe Paterno’s estate $13.4 million in pension benefits, a spokesman for the family said Friday.
The Associated Press reports that Paterno’s widow, Sue, will collect $10 million by the end of the month and the rest of the benefits over time. She pledged to donate at least $1.5 million of it to college-related charities.
According to USA Today, Paterno just cracked $1 million in annual compensation at the end of his career, significantly less than the $1.5 million that coaches in the major college football programs earn on average. The family spokesman told the AP that the $13.4 million pension was calculated using standard state formulas in Pennsylvania.
Paterno’s 61-year career came to a close midseason last year after a child sex abuse scandal engulfed Penn State's football program, and trustees removed him as coach. Not three months later, the 85-year-old coaching legend died after complications with lung-cancer treatment.
